Just a Flick or Two
by onceuponalovestory2
Summary: AU: Killian works at a video store. Emma is his most frequent customer. (M-rating for language)
1. Movie Nights

"Get something that isn't a chick flick this time," her boyfriend rattled off from the other end of her cell phone.

It was Friday night and, as per usual, Emma was in the movie rental place a few blocks down from her apartment, grabbing a few films for her and Neal to view together. Friday night was their movie night and Emma generally had first pick, which he was usually tolerant of, but she figured it was time for a change.

"Fine. But not because you told me to."

She heard Neal chuckle as he hung up the phone, the dial tone sounding before she tossed her phone into her bag and went off to find the _New Releases _section. A couple of films that had recently been released from cinemas seemed like they could be good.

She wandered through the aisles, scanning through TV series, horror films, video games, hell even anime before finally finding the section she sought. The cases of films were lined up in rows and her eyes raked over them all. There was quite the selection and she laughed to herself and wondered why she hadn't bothered to actually go to the cinema and see them when they had come out. It was most likely because of her job.

She had recently taken up an internship as a teacher's assistant at the high school in town. They had her grading papers and tutoring nearly twelve hours out of the day and there wasn't much leisure time to go sit down and watch a movie, one of the reasons she looked forward to her weekly movie nights with Neal.

She hadn't realized that she was standing in the middle of the aisle until a husky voice from behind her cleared its throat. Emma turned, dropping her purse and stepping on his foot (at least she assumed it was a he), which elicited a slight groan. Yes. Definitely a he.

She was embarrassed and flustered and _shit why am I such a klutz. _

"Sorry! I…really am. Wow okay did I hurt you? Is your foot okay? I'm stupid. Sorry," she fumbled for words, trying to reform herself as she bent down again to pick up her bag which was still lying at his feet. Picking it back up in one swift motion she finally stood right side up again, flipping her long blonde hair back behind her and meeting eyes with the man in front of her. He was wearing a uniform so she figured he was an employee. Her eyes made their way up to his face and holy shit. Sculpted was one word for it. His chiseled face and dark facial hair was enough to send any woman, or man for that matter, flying backwards in a wave of hotness. She laughed inwardly and smiled politely, smoothing her clothes and hoping she still didn't look too ruffled.

"You're fine, lass. I was only trying to get around you to put these DVDs back where they belong," he spoke with a heavy accent as he gestured to the stack of movies he had clustered in his arms. "But while I am here…can I help you find anything?"

Emma grinned at him thankfully, taking another deep breath and putting her bag back over her shoulder. "I was actually just trying to find a couple good films for my boyfriend and me…any new suggestions?"

There was a sudden sense of eagerness in his eyes and he smiled wickedly, tossing the movies to the side. "You have come to the right person, love."

He walked her through the aisles of new releases, explaining each one in great detail to her. He expressed a great liking for _Guardians of the Galaxy _and _Planet of the Apes _(typical "boy movies", of course) and she laughed at his enthusiasm.

They reached the end of the section and Emma now had her arms full of DVDs, all handpicked by the video store employee.

"I think I've got all I can handle for tonight," she remarked and he gave a soft apologetic smile.

"Sorry, darling. Must have gotten a tad bit carried away." He took some of the movies from her hands, lightening her load immensely. "I'll get you checked out."

They made their way to the counter and he rang her up. He was quite the character. She hadn't expected to come across someone so energized about helping her find movies but here he was, pumped up and ready to go, with a bit of a smirk in his eye every time she glanced at him.

"There you are, love," he said as he handed her new rentals over to her. "I hope you have a nice evening and was satisfied with you care here."

Emma laughed at that. "What is this place? Some sort of movie health clinic?" She wondered with a raise of her eyebrow.

He grinned at her then and she noticed just how blue his eyes were. He was certainly a looker, but she wasn't there to flirt. She had a boyfriend to get home to.

The automatic door opened before her as she walked out, hearing the employee's voice behind her say, "The name's Killian, by the way!"

Emma turned over her shoulder to sneak a peek back at him. "Emma!"

The door shut and she walked back to her car.

/

Unexpected.

She had crashed into him like a ton of bricks, both literally and figuratively, and now he was having a hard time getting her out of his head.

Killian spent his days finishing off grad school and by night he closed the movie rental place down the street from the university. Nights were dull and uneventful. People came and went and the only enjoyment he ever got was watching the newly released films being played on the screens built into the walls of the place for advertising. Killian was a bit of a film enthusiast. He had been working without pay for years on movie critic websites and while that was all well and good, it certainly didn't help pay for his apartment or meals so here he was.

The night had started simple. Not many customers, restocking shelves. He lived alone and he knew his friends would all be out either partying or getting laid (or both) on a Friday night so it's not like he had anyone to go home to. It had been a couple weeks since he had slept with a woman and he was getting a bit restless. School and his job took up nearly all his time nowadays and the nights he had off he often found himself finishing hour's worth of homework. His time for women had been cut down immensely, much to his dismay.

When the bell rang alerting that someone was in the store, he ignored it. If they needed him they could come get him.

He checked the movie return bin and pulled out the few movies that had begun to pile up. He figured they had probably been in there for a few days since he was usually the only one of the employees who ever bothered to check the thing.

When he had run into her, he was caught in a wave of blonde hair and green eyes and fair skin and _wow _and his sexual urge was heightened even more but oh she was there for her _boyfriend. _But being cordial couldn't hurt. He laid on the charm and while he could feel her doing nothing more than laughing at his antics he couldn't help but cheer up a bit at her smile. Her laugh.

He rang her up and he gave her his name and she hers.

Emma.

Nice.

He had given her _Guardians of the Galaxy _to watch with that boyfriend of hers that night so, naturally, he had to take it home to watch himself.

He smiled as he locked up the store and made his way to his car. He had a feeling he would be seeing Emma again.

/

Next Friday was the same. Emma entered the video store half expecting to see Killian waiting by the door for her, prepared to give her all the new DVD deliveries that had been made in the past week. She wasn't far off from the reality of things, for when she entered, he was standing at the desk again, his face lighting up with a familiar smile when he caught her eye.

"So you have returned. I take it your movie night was a successful experience?" he quipped lightly, swaggering toward her with his hands shoved into his pockets. He really was a sight for sore eyes, which was a rare thing to be able to say about a college student in a dorky store uniform.

Actually, the movie night had gone alright. The films had been great, and with each one they completed, she thought of what she would tell Killian about them; if she liked them or not, her favorite part, if she thinks there would be a sequel. But the night had gone downhill when she and Neal got into an argument. It was about something silly for all she knew but it still made her feel like crap. They had been on edge with each other recently and she wasn't sure why or if it was either one of their faults in particular. But they had gone to bed angry that night and now that it was Friday again, she was hoping they could smooth things over.

"I definitely enjoyed the selections you made, yes. Got anything new this week?" she asked, browsing around the store in the process, him following close behind her.

"Hmm…you know I'll have to check in the back."

She had been slightly distracted by the rows of movies that were lined up on the wall next to them, reading the titles and the names of the leading actor that were listed on the cover. She was always fascinated by the intricate pieces inside movies, but she never knew which the best were. It seemed as though Killian was an expert, though.

Emma was drawn out of her faze when she felt hot breath behind her ear whispering the words "Care to join me, love?" It was more endearing than it probably should have been and it sent a shiver down her spine. She remembered from the other day how startled she had been when she had first laid eyes on him, seeing his sea blue eyes boring into her. _Get yourself together, _she scolded herself. She didn't know why she was suddenly having these thoughts. She had a boyfriend. Plus, she had only just met this guy. He was nothing. He was no one.

So she turned to face him as if everything were normal. As if he wasn't in a much closer proximity than she would have liked, because now he was probably aware of the way she still had goose bumps on her arm. But nevertheless, she accepted his offer and followed him into the back room.

"So. You said your name was Emma, am I correct?" he pondered as he led her to the back.

She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket before responding. It was noticeably colder back here. "Yeah, Emma Swan. And you're Killian, right?"

He moved several boxes out of the way, most filled with packing material (why DVDs needed to be shipped with loads of packing material she had no idea). "Aye. Killian Jones. Seems like we both have quite the moniker."

Emma laughed with a short puff of breath through her nose. She had been teased about her name a fair number of times. It was one of those things you just remembered. Sort of like someone from a movie. And she wouldn't even bring up the number of times she had been given the nickname "bird girl" at every school she had attended as a child (and there had been a lot, given that she never spent much time in one home before moving onto the next).

"So what have you got in store for me this time?"

"Hold on! I think we've got something in this box…just got it in today."

Ripping open the box that he had just sat on the desk in front of him, he pulled out a stack of newly packaged movies and laid them out in front of her. "The Grand Budapest Hotel! Nice Indie film. It was fantastic in cinemas. Or so I heard anyway…what do you say, love? You and the boyfriend want to give this one a go?"

She took the DVD without a second thought, remembering how much she had enjoyed his last recommendations.

She looked at the cover before smiling up at him briefly before she realized he was leaning in. Was he trying to kiss her? What was happening they didn't even really know each other?

He stopped short just in front of her face. "And no charge for my lady."

She closed her eyes in relief and exhaled. "Thanks…"

She watched as he cleaned up the mess of things that had been strewn around. He was being awfully friendly to her. Almost too friendly. And why was she reading into everything like it was something sexual. It was probably his demeanor. The way that he held himself with an air of confidence. His body _screamed _sex and his aura of tall dark and handsome she was fairly certain was beginning to make her brain go fuzzy.

_Pull yourself together. _

Emma followed him back into the main area of the shop, shaking off the daze that had been cast over her like a spell just moments before.

"So Jones…not that I don't appreciate it or anything but why are you being so generous to me?" Emma questioned. He had walked behind the counter now and she was leaning her elbows onto the ledge of it, her chin resting in her hands and the DVD sitting beside her.

He took a quick moment to look down at the computer in front of him before looking back up at her. "Whatever do you mean…Swan?"

He articulated her name with an elongated 'n' and she giggled a bit. He was flirtatious by nature, it seemed, and it was causing her to be, well, not like herself.

"I mean last week you were so enthusiastic about recommending the best, and only the best, films for me. Now you're giving me the newest selection you've got on the house…am I that special?" she explained with a sassy glint in her eye.

When he leaned in closer to mimic her position on the other side of the ledge, she most certainly did _not _glance down at his lips. (But if she had she would have noticed that they were beautiful and pink and looked _extremely _kissable. But she hadn't. So she didn't. Of course not.)

"I suppose it's just nice to have someone sometimes."

She wasn't entirely sure what that meant and she wasn't entirely sure that she cared. Their eyes held each others for God knows how long and it didn't break until she remembered that it was Friday night and she was supposed to be at home. With Neal. Her _boyfriend. _She needed to make up for last week's shitty movie night and she wasn't going to do that by sticking around here.

Moving quickly out of her position on the countertop, she snatched up her movie and threw her bag over her shoulder, taking her phone out, sure that Neal had probably texted her wondering where the hell she is.

"Well I should be going. Thank you for your help. Again."

"Of course. Tell the boyfriend I say hello," he said with a smirk, walking forward to open the door for her.

_God what an idiot. And a gentleman. But no mostly an idiot. _

She stepped out into the chilly November air and was stopped short again when she heard his voice call her name.

"Emma!"

She turned round, wrapping her coat around her tighter as the wind picked up.

"I suppose I'll be seeing you again next Friday?"

Emma grinned wide and watched as he stood in the doorway, waiting for her answer. "It's a date."

/

It was a routine between the two of them.

Every Friday, Emma would show up at the video store. Killian would never admit that he had begun to anticipate her arrival for approximately ten minutes until 8 pm each week. He would never admit that he had started putting a bit more effort into his appearance on Friday's before his shift. He would never admit that he might potentially be interested in one of his customers. One of his _taken _customers, for that matter.

With each coming week he found out a little bit more about her. She and her boyfriend, Neal was his name, had been together for almost two years. She has graduated from university and was now interning at the local high school as a teacher's assistant. He knew the basic things. Whenever he got close to the subject of her family, she retreated. He figured he shouldn't pry. He had a hard family life himself and he knew that it wasn't easy to talk about. So they talked about something different. They talked about movies.

He had never had anyone to share in his knowledge of films with. His friends Robin and Graham always teased him for it. They thought the only words that could be used to describe movies consisted of three or less syllables and no more. But not only did Emma listen, but she seemed genuinely interested in what he had to say. And she often put forth her own insight.

With Emma, things seemed to come naturally. It was easy to talk to her and he adored the crinkles she got around her eyes when she smiled, the glow that radiated from her hair every time she walked into the store.

They had exchanged numbers and during his shifts on days when things were slow, he would text her about new movies.

_**[Killian]Edge of Tomorrow just came in. Sound interesting to you or the boyfriend?**_

_**[Emma]Oh GOD. I'm not sure if I can handle another one of Neal's action movies.**_

_**[Killian]Come on now, Swan. I thought you liked a bit of action.**_

_**[Emma]Not every fucking movie night. I need a bit of variety in my life!**_

_**[Killian]Well I think we just received a new shipment of pornos if you're up for that sort of thing darling ;)**_

_**[Emma]LMFAO yeah I think I'll pass on that thanks very much. **_

He loved their banter. It was his favorite part of the day.

Friday night came around again. It was 8:30 before he began to worry. She wasn't there and the store was quiet except for a few stray customers towards the back and he couldn't help but getting a knot in his stomach. _Relax, Killian. She's not entitled to be here every sodding week. _

And so the night dragged on. The hours until closing ticked by slower than ever, glancing at the clock every five minutes. He rang up the last few customers before taking his car keys and jacket from the back room and locking the doors. Debating with himself whether he should text Emma or not, his hand seemed to make the decision for him, having already reached into the pocket of his coat and pulling out his phone.

The car door opened and he sat down, twiddling his thumbs on the small keyboard, contemplating what to say. He didn't want to come off as clingy or creepy but he was concerned and he finally settled on a message to send.

_**[Killian]Missed you tonight, love.**_

He tapped the glowing send button before he could second guess himself. Tossing his phone into the passenger's seat, the car started with a hum.

His phone wasn't dinging. Or buzzing. Or making any sort of noise to indicate that she had texted back and it was driving him crazy. What if she really was in danger or hurt in some way? The nagging feeling in his brain was lingering and he thought maybe he should call her, but ultimately decided against it, seeing that it was now eleven at night and he didn't want to risk waking her up.

_Of course. _He realized. She's sleeping. That must be all it is. She's not in danger.

But before he could close his eyes on his pillow that night, he couldn't help but send a second message to her.

_**[Killian]Hope everything is alright.**_

/

Everything around her seemed to be happening in slow motion. She didn't know how it had begun but she seemed to recall the lamp by the sofa crashing to the ground and shattering the bulb inside it.

Her face was wet with tears and she was curled up in the corner of her apartment, finally remembering why.

Neal had left.

She thought she had patched things up with him at least a little bit a few weeks ago, but she knew that things never would be the same with them again. It was tense, sure, but she never thought that he would pack up and leave.

She was shaking and she hated feeling so fucking weak but the only thing that she could do was curl into the blanket that she somehow found wrapped around her and cry. Her phone buzzed from across the room but she ignored it. The apartment was silent until thirty minutes later, when her phone buzzed again, indicating another message. She was too tired to care.

When Emma had arrived home that afternoon, she knew that things had been rough with Neal. His words constantly hurt her and she would be lying if she said that she hadn't thought about breaking it off with him numerous times. Now she wishes she had. He was in the kitchen and he was holding a duffle bag. There was yelling and screaming when she realized why and she knocked over the lamp at some point and she doesn't even remember everything but the words he said as he walked out were forever ingrained in her mind, stabbing at it like a knife. "_How is it that I ever loved you?"_

The words resounded in her ears. She had trusted him. She had loved him. And he threw her heart to the side like it was a piece of garbage. Her stomach hurt and as she laid her head on the chair next to her on the floor, sleep began to overtake her. Her eyelids were puffy from the tears that had been shed and her voice was sore from screaming at him and all she wanted was peace. So she let sleep claim her.

/

It wasn't until she woke the next morning that she even realized she had slept on the floor all night. The blanket that had covered her hours before was nothing more than a bundle at her feet now and she shivered, deducting that she had probably been without any warmth for a while. She stood, rubbing her hands up and down her arms and trying to supply herself with some body heat, making her way to the kitchen. She fixed herself a mug of hot coca with cinnamon and when she passed the mirror in the hallway, her puffy eyes reminded her of the events of the previous night. She had lost him.

What were the stages of grief again? Isn't that how you were supposed to move on from something like this? I mean no one was dead but it couldn't hurt. Not anymore than her heart already did, anyway.

Denial.

No point in denying what had happened. He was gone and he wasn't coming back and having any hope that he would was a complete waste of her time.

Anger.

Oh hell. She was angry. She had been angry from the second she realized that he was walking out on her. Her hormones were _raging _with anger. She felt like she was on fire. Like her insides were a red hot inferno that she couldn't extinguish. She wanted to rip his head off or destroy all his belongings and damn the consequences.

Next came depression she supposed. She had experienced that before, the way she grew up. It was a feeling she didn't want o get accustomed to again. The feeling of being locked inside your own body with no way out and no one to talk to. No way to make yourself feel better except sit alone and pray that you don't get the urge to cry again. It was a torturous feeling.

And then came acceptance.

Emma had been through breakups before. Some were nastier than others. But she thought Neal had been different. Or so she told herself that he was. She was the lost girl and he had found her. In a bar on campus. Drunk and hormonal. He was never supposed to be more than a good fuck for a night or two to fulfill her temporary sexual urges but she had fallen for him. Stupidly. Of course she didn't know it was stupid then. She was young and impressionable and only wanted someone to make her feel good. But now the shattered promises and little white lies that were weaved into their relationship were resurfacing in her mind. She was reminded of the time he cheated. Of the times when he yelled at her and made her cry. She stuck around because she figured that this is what real love felt like. Loving someone so much that you hate them. But here she was now, trying to steady her breathing and her heart making a decision for her.

She hadn't really loved him for quite some time. And there was no way in hell that she would ever fall into a trap that easily ever again.

Now that was something she could accept.

/

It had been two weeks since he had heard from Emma. His job at the video store went back to its dull and boring ways. No text messages or voicemails from her. She hadn't stopped by to hear about any of the great new DVD shipments they had received. He missed her.

"I don't think we have that in yet…" he explained to a customer that Friday. He was trying to stay optimistic that his blonde beauty would show herself again but he wasn't getting his hopes up too much.

"Don't you have it in the back or something?" the girl whined. She was nagging Killian about the newest chick flick that had been released from cinemas and was extremely persistent in her conquest to get what she wanted.

He did though. Have it in the back. He had been rummaging around back there quite a bit, going through the newest deliveries just in case Emma decided to reappear.

With a long sigh, Killian closed his eyes and let out a breathy "Fine" (really it was more of a groan) before turning and going to the back. He knew just where the movie was. He had a neat stack on the desk of movies he thought were "Emma-worthy" as he had deemed them. Picking it up, he looked at the cover and wondered if he would ever see her again.

Stepping out of the dark storage room, he kept his eyes fixed on the DVD.

"Alright, miss I think this is what you were looking for. I'll have to charge you extra since we haven't placed it on shelves yet, but I did manage to-"

His customer was on the other side of the store and in front of him was the lass he had been dreaming of seeing again for weeks. Emma.

"That a new movie there, Jones? I thought I usually got them for free," she smiled, pulling her hands from her pockets.

He knew his jaw was open and his eyes wide. He could have sworn that she was even more beautiful than the last time she had come in. but there was something different. The glow that usually radiated from her was dulling. Her eyes looked tired and her skin was pale.

"Swan," he mustered. "Where've you been I was beginning to worry…"

She let out a laugh. "You don't need to worry about me."

There was a long silence that lingered between them as he observed her further. There was definitely something off about her. Her eyes weren't smiling.

The woman who had been arguing with him had clearly given up and left the store so he disregarded the film in his hands and took a step closer to Emma.

"Did you get my texts, love?" he questioned.

She nodded gratefully. "I'm sorry I didn't respond. I should have let you know what was happening…"

When she wouldn't meet his eyes directly, he caressed her shoulder and she jumped.

"Hey…what troubles you, darling?"

It felt like a lifetime before she finally looked up at his face. She looked so broken and helpless and all he wanted to do was pull her into his arms but he let her speak first.

"Neal left me," she whispered. She sounded so small and fragile and he could tell that she was trying not to. That she was trying to be strong. But he knew what that felt like, to be completely destroyed and still trying to put up the façade that you're okay.

"Are you serious?"

Killian was in a state of disbelief. He was suddenly angry and he wanted to track down that evil bastard and strangle him for hurting her.

"I didn't know who else to tell. It happened two weeks ago that's why I haven't been here."

She had been dealing with this alone for two weeks. And he hadn't done a single thing about it. He knew he cared for her that was evident to anyone. But this opened up an entirely new feeling that he wasn't sure how to respond to. He wanted nothing more than to be there for her. She needed a shoulder to cry on and he wanted it to be his. She needed a living breathing soul to take care of her and he wanted it to be him. He wanted her to want it to be him.

Slowly, he took her hand from where it had settled by her side. He squeezed it gently and when she didn't let go, his heart skipped a beat (cliché, I know, but it was the moment that Killian was so used to watching in movies, when the guy realizes that he was falling for the girl).

"Confessions of a Shopaholic," Killian blurted.

Emma's head snapped to look at him. "What?"

Let the fun begin. "I know how to deal with breakups. You need a couple of feel good movies and possibly some creamy goodness? We've got loads of ice cream in the freezers in the back." Killian rambled.

Emma's lips were curving up into a smile, and Killian's stomach flipped knowing that he was the cause of it.

"Sure," she agreed.

With another wicked grin, Killian grabbed her hand and ran her to the other side of the store to the _Movies A-Z _section. He was pulling DVDs from the shelves left and right and Emma was laughing, her eyes lighting up again, the way he loved. Her hand was warm in his, despite that it was a cool winter chill outside and he cherished the heat that radiated from it.

Rounding up their collection of movies, he took her to the back room.

"Don't tell a soul but…sometimes after hours, I sit back here and watch the new releases with a bag of popcorn from the display in the front," he whispered close to her ear, and he could feel the goose bumps that appeared on her wrist.

"And where do you do all of this?" she wondered, looking around the dimly lit room.

Killian tugged her hand slightly, pulling her back to where a sheet hung down from one of the rafters. Maybe he was trying too hard to impress her but if it worked, who really cared. "In here."

With one dramatic sweep of his hand, he pulled the sheet back to reveal a small secluded corner. It was lit by only a few strands of old white Christmas lights, which were hanging along some of the pipes on the ceiling, as well as one that lined the flat screen TV in the corner. There was a small loveseat with cushions piled high on it and in front of it was accompanied by a basic carpet and coffee table with a few blankets underneath.

Emma's green eyes were sparkling even brighter by the soft light of the room. He felt her hand slip out of his and he immediately missed her warmth. She covered her mouth with her hands and muffled an excited laugh before turning to him again and wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Killian this is amazing," she murmured in his ear.

He closed his eyes wrapped an arm around her waist. It made the hairs at the nape of his neck stand on end when she pulled him in tighter and breathed out against his shoulder. When she pulled away and went to sit on the mini couch, he stood and just looked at her for a minute.

"Well are you going to start the movie?" she asked him.

He wasn't going to lie. He loved every moment of this. But she had just gotten out of a relationship. He knew she was already fairly closed off as it is, and now he felt as if he were intruding even more.

"Emma, are you sure this is how you want to spend your Friday night…with me?"

Her eyes were sincere as they locked with his. "Of course I'm sure. It's movie night and I would rather spend it with a good friend than alone, wondering what I did to make my asshole boyfriend walk out on me."

"Emma you did nothing wrong it was-"

"Then let's drop it then."

So he did. He walked to the TV and popped the movie in. The beginning credits rolled and Killian plopped himself down next to Emma on the couch, being careful not to get too close for comfort.

"Killian?" her voice was soft.

"Hmm?" he hummed in response.

She turned her head to look at him intensely. "Thank you."

Then movie night commenced.

/

**Reviews more than welcome. I haven't written in a long time. I would love to know some things you would like to see happen in this fic or if you even would like it to continue. Really I love hearing from people. 3**


	2. The Importance of the Score

Emma was drowning in ice cream. And she was enjoying every second of it. The excuse of having just been through a breakup was going farther than it probably should have, using it to get out of some extremely mundane calculus tutoring sessions with her students. It also gave her the opportunity to claim as much ice cream as humanly possible and stock her freezer full of it. After her and Killian's movie night last Friday, she had taken from his secret freezer a few pints of mint chocolate chip (as well as a few things of chocolate chip cookie dough and rocky road for good measure).

She hadn't seen Killian since that night, and she had only spoken to him occasionally through text. It felt strange to go there on a day that wasn't Friday. She didn't even know if he was working any other days during the week. So instead she spent her days on the couch, when she wasn't at her job. Christmas break was in just a couple of days for the kids and finals week had made it so she didn't have to be at school as much, what with the exam schedule and all. It was nice to feel like she didn't have to worry about anything.

Her two weeks without Neal had been an emotional roller coaster. For the first few days, it was box after box of tissues. She had never been much of a crier, and after it was out of her system, she scolded herself for it. Neal was nothing to cry over. He had manipulated her head and her heart more times than she could remember. She didn't need to waste her tears on that asshole.

After the tears had passed, she felt a dark cloud roll over her head. Constant headaches (aided by loads of ibuprofen), scalding hot baths (which you can bet were filled to the brim with bubbles), and the intermittent outburst of anger, which would result in either a broken coffee cup, bruised knuckles from punching something, or a sore throat from screaming at nobody.

When she had finally gotten herself up and moving again, she found it was only to go to the grocery store or to work. She found that bad daytime television could actually be quite good if you were exhausted from loss of sleep and wanted nothing more than to be lying down and being lazy. The first time she had gone somewhere other than a place of necessity was two Fridays later, when she went to see Killian at the video store and had wound up staying for a movie night of their own.

She doesn't even remember making the decision to go. Her mind was still cloudy from the past two weeks and as she pulled into the parking lot of Varoline Videos she found herself wondering why she was even there. No. She knew why. She needed a friend. And Killian was her best bet at the moment.

But now she was feeling better. For the most part. Spending time with Killian had lifted her spirits more than she would have liked to admit and even though she hadn't seen him for the past four days, her mood was still much improved from the days before she had spent the evening with him. And sitting on the couch, downing a pint of rocky road while watching another film suggested by her own personal movie critic, she felt the best she had in a long time.

Her phone buzzed underneath her. She set the ice cream down, spoon still hanging from her mouth, and dug it out from where it had fallen between the cushions of the couch.

_**[Elsa]Hey girl. You know I got back from visiting Anna almost a week ago right? Or have you been purposefully ignoring me? :P**_

Emma groaned. She had completely forgotten. Elsa was her closest friends and she had been gone for a couple weeks to stay with her sister, her husband Kristoff, and their twin daughters, Ingrid and Gerda. She had known when she was coming back but things had gotten bit crazy within the span of two weeks.

Emma quickly responded.

_**[Emma]Elsa! You know you**__**'**__**re my best friend**__**…**__**I**__**'**__**ve got a lot to tell you. **_

She pressed send and tapped her phone restlessly. Why hadn't she thought to call Elsa in the first place? She was the one friend that she knew could help her.

Her phone buzzed again and she looked down at the message lighting up her screen.

_**[Elsa]Lunch. The North Mall. 20 minutes. **_

Shit, she thought. She was in her pajamas and she probably smelled like a pig sty. She hadn't showered since yesterday morning and she was pretty sure she hadn't washed her current bra in about a month.

Emma ran into her bathroom and quickly put on deodorant and perfume. Her hair looked like she had just rolled out of bed (probably because she actually had) and she ruffled her hands through it a few times before stripping out of her pajamas and throwing on jeans and a t-shirt.

Maybe this would be good for her. She hadn't been out of the house, well not really, since Neal left and she could use the fresh air. And the company. Grabbing her keys off her bedside table, she ran to the door, jumped in her yellow bug, and drove.

/

The vibrations from the strum of the guitar reverberated through his fingers, sending a jolt of electricity and exhilaration through his spine. Mere chords that were produced from brushing fingers across the strings brought on a feeling that was rare to experience. It was as if he were in love with the instrument and the hum it emitted and that he would elope with it were it a person.

Killian was broken out of his trance when someone tapped his shoulder. The illusion was shattered as his eyes snapped open and he quickly removed the earplugs he had stuffed into his ears before he began to play. He took in his surroundings, remembering where he was. He was in the music store at the mall in the middle of everyone and the store manager must have been growing tired of Killian's constant loud strumming of the instrument he possessed.

"Alright, buddy, you planning on buying this thing? Cause I can't let you play it any longer if you're not," prompted the manager.

Killian slipped the strap of the guitar off from around his neck and ran his hands along the bright red surface of the six string.

"Sorry no. I'll just be going then," he said, handing the guitar back to the worker.

He wanted it so bad. He wanted to just screw everything else and buy that beautiful piece of equipment. But it was over six hundred dollars and his paycheck from the video store was a whopping one hundred twenty bucks a week. Subtract the expenses on his apartment and food and paying off student loans, with admitted help from some of his friends and, on occasion, his brother, he was flat broke when it came to buying items for mere pleasure.

On his way out of the store, he was distracted again by a vintage set of drums they had on display. _Looky there another thing I can__'__t afford._

Despite the pull of hunger in his stomach, given that it was past his usual lunch hour, and the orders from the store manager to stop keeping other customers from enjoying their shopping experience, he closed his eyes and started to pound on the air. He moved his hands in a pattern as if he were playing the real thing. He could swear that he could actually hear the beat of it, that there was a whole band or orchestra forming around him.

He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder again. His eyes opened, expecting to see the angry store manager again, or possibly a security guard ready to drag him into mall prison (was that a real thing?), but instead he was met with the eyes that he had been thinking of so fondly since the week he met her. The hair that seemed to be everywhere but nowhere at the same time. It was Emma.

/

The wind was bitter and icy as she scampered from her car to the main entrance of the North Mall. _More like the North Pole, _she thought to herself. The cold front that had swept in last night was brutal and without warning and Emma was not prepared for the snow that was destined to appear tonight, though it did give her an excuse to wear her favorite red pea coat and her new beanie.

Walking in through the doors she looked around for Elsa. There she was, sitting on a bench on her phone, looking at lovely as ever.

Elsa and Anna had been in Emma's foster home when she was twelve. Emma was eventually adopted by a woman named Ruth, gaining an older brother named David, whom she hardly ever saw nowadays. Ruth had died when Emma was seventeen, leaving her in the care of David until she moved out on her own.

Elsa and Anna, however, were never adopted. They refused to separate from each other and it seemed as if there was no family that wanted a couple of young teenage girls, so they remained on their own. Anna was like a little sister to Emma and Elsa was her best friend in every world that has ever existed. After Emma left the foster system, they kept tabs on each other by phone and letters, promising to never forget each other. And here they were. Still best friends. Twelve years later.

Slipping off her jacket and draping it around her left arm, Emma walked up to her friend, who was still engulfed in her cell phone.

"What's so interesting on there that you can't look up for five seconds to see your best friend, hmm?" Emma teased.

Elsa's head popped up from her phone, startled, and gave Emma the familiar look that she had used on her since they met. A small toothless grin and bright eyes. She stood up without saying a word and pulled Emma into a hug.

"I missed you so much!" Elsa said, squeezing her tight.

"I missed you too! But if you hug me any tighter I think I might suffocate."

Emma felt Elsa's hands release from behind her back as she pulled away, her eyebrows ruffled on her forehead.

"Sorry!"

"So what exactly were you looking at that was so intriguing…"

With an excited "Oh!" Elsa pulled her phone back out and eagerly unlocked it.

"Anna posted the pictures she took of me and the twins on Facebook. They've gotten so big!"

Emma's heart leaped at the mention of her sort-of nieces. She had been there when they were born but that had been almost two years ago and she hadn't seen them, or Anna and her husband since then. They were the only bit of family she had left, apart from David, and they felt like ghosts.

Elsa was right. They had gotten big. Emma smiled fondly at the pictures of the girls. They had their mother's bright red hair but their father's deep brown eyes. She could even see a bit of Elsa in them, mostly in the nose.

"Ingrid kept on biting my finger and Gerda insisted that she do everything on her own. Ever since they started walking they have been as independent as they can. It's adorable," Elsa explained.

Emma grinned and almost teared up at the photos of her best friend and her precious nieces. Whether they were of sadness or of joy she didn't know. Since losing Neal, her emotions had been spiked and confusing and thinking of love made her woozy and nauseous. But this was different. This was family.

_Stop being so melodramatic, _she scolded herself.

"So," Elsa began, taking her phone back and tossing it into her bag, "where are we off to for lunch? I want to hear everything you have to tell me, good or bad."

They linked arms and ascended up the escalator to Arendelle Bar and Grill.

Emma knew the conversation that was coming. Elsa was never fond of Neal and while she had tried to be as supportive as possible during their relationship, she always knew that secretly, if she'd had the chance, Elsa would have kicked his ass to the curb for her a long time ago. Now that he had left her, she wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be. She was too kind to say "I told you so" and she didn't think that she would be entirely sympathetic, given her blind hatred for him, but anger wasn't out of the question…

The moment they sat down at a table, Elsa burst.

"Okay spill. What is it?"

Emma opened her menu slowly. Maybe if she avoided the topic for long enough it would become easier to talk about (though she knew that was entirely untrue).

"Let's…order first. I mean I am starv-"

"Oh no no no missy. You are not getting out of this that easily."

Emma met her eyes and she could feel her eyebrows begin to furrow as she thought about what had happened in detail for the first time in a week. She figured tears were probably pooling in her lids but she couldn't feel them. This was too many emotions for one outing to the mall.

Elsa's face became more serious when she saw the pain in her face. "Emma. What is it?"

With a deep breath, Emma spoke. "Neal left me."

If it weren't for Elsa's gaping mouth and frown, she wouldn't have been sure if she had even heard. Her voice was suddenly more of a whisper than anything else and it was like the words were caught in her throat, along with the tears that she had apparently been holding back.

"He did not."

"He did." She wouldn't look at her again. She was browsing the menu. Food. That's all she needed. She needed to stuff her face with lots of carbs and meat and oh she should get one of those really yummy things of baked mac n' cheese-

"Emma."

"What?!" she snapped.

It was silent for a brief moment before Elsa spoke again. "He's an asshole and I swear to God I'm going to kill him." Her voice was slowly raising and she could tell that the anger was building up inside her, much like what had been happening to Emma for the past few weeks. "Did he at least have the decency to sit down and talk to you like a fucking mature adult?! No I bet he didn't. He didn't did he?!"

"Elsa I really don't feel like going into the details now that I've finally got it out in the open.'

"But…I though that's why you came here. To talk to me about it."

"I'll tell you later okay! But now it's just…too soon to do it again. To relive it."

The quiet that ensued went on for a few minutes. The waiter came and took their drink orders and Emma suddenly felt guilty.

"Elsa…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you. This has just been really difficult on me."

"I can only imagine. I'm pissed at myself that I wasn't here to help pick up the pieces. And to kick that dickhead's ass."

Emma chuckled at that. Elsa may look like a queen but she swore like a sailor.

For the rest of lunch, they carried on normal conversation; Elsa telling Emma about her trip to her sister's, Emma filling her in on how things were with her job. When they finished their meal and left the restaurant, Emma thought that she was seeing things.

Across the hall, there was a music store. And standing there, rocking out, was none other than Killian Jones. _Video store Killian Jones._

"Killian..?" Emma muttered. Elsa forgotten, she strolled curiously over to the store.

"Hey, wait!"

His eyes were closed and he seemed to be playing some sort of invisible instrument. She tapped his shoulder and she raised his eyebrows when his eyes met hers.

"Fancy seeing you here, Jones."

/

Well, this was slightly embarrassing, he couldn't deny. Music had enthralled his senses yet again and this is how things concluded. Caught by his silly little crush.

He threw his arms back down to his sides as quickly as possible, recovering from the humiliating event that had just unfolded.

_Goddamit, Jones, you couldn't have controlled yourself for five minutes as you walked out of the store?!_

"Emma! Hi. I was just…well…never mind. Hi." Killian stammered. If he took a step, he would probably trip over his own feet at this point, so he stayed put and kept his eyes focused on hers, big and green and _wow. _

Emma was laughing and he knew it was because of his mortification of playing a fucking _invisible instrument_. Like a child. An invisible instrument. Gods above.

"Hey…" she drawled. "You looked like you were enjoying yourself, huh?"

"Oh, that was…that was nothing. I was just, um…yeah okay you caught me."

She smiled and it was so big and bright and lovely that his embarrassment was almost forgotten.

"So you like music, then? I thought you were more of a movie guy."

"Oh but I am."

He stepped closer into her personal space and she looked down at the proximity shortening between them.

"Darling, the way I see it, films and music go hand in hand. For what is a fantastic movie without an equally amazing musical score?"

She was looking up at him now and the heat coming from her breath onto his neck was intoxicating. Where were they again?

"I see…that's…a really interesting way to look at it."

He wanted to kiss her. They weren't touching but one movement and they easily could be. He didn't want to intrude but this was one of those moments he so often saw in his favorite movies: an unexpected situation with the main love interest turns into something more; a admission of feelings or an unwarranted sex scene that they regret in the morning but by the end of the film they realize that they _truly _love each other.

But this wasn't a movie, and he was reminded of that when he heard another voice, interrupting their "privacy" (although there wasn't much of it. They _were_ in a store).

"Emma! I told you to wait! Jesus, girl, what is so fucking important that-"

A woman with blonde hair, so blonde it was almost white, had approached them. She was carrying a bag of leftovers from a restaurant and had a purse slung over her shoulder. When she saw Killian, her eyes fixed on him intensely.

As soon as Emma had heard the woman's voice, she was pulling away from Killian.

_Dammit._

Like he had even expected anything to happen. She was just out of relationship. She needed time. They were friends. That was all. At least he hoped they were friends. He had been cordial and friendly, hadn't he? This was all far more complicated than it should have been.

Flipping her head around to face the woman, Emma tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Sorry, Elsa. I just…saw a friend."

_Friend, Jones. Just. Friends._

The woman, Elsa, still had her gaze fixed on Killian. It was a suggestive look and it was making him slightly uncomfortable. It wasn't like he hadn't received wicked grins from other women in the past. He knew that he was an attractive man. He could get a woman into bed with only a few words, maybe a drink or two. But this appeared to be Emma's friend…the friend of the woman whom he couldn't get off of his mind. Strange was one word for this situation.

"Yes, Emma, I can see. And who is this friend?" Elsa questioned, reaching her hand out to Killian politely.

He took it in his and shook as firmly as possible, trying not to show any amount of awkwardness he was feeling.

"Killian Jones. I work at Varoline Videos."

"It's right down the street from my place," Emma explained to Elsa.

"Well, Killian, it is very nice to meet you."

"Likewise," he answered kindly, releasing her hand from his grip.

Elsa turned back to face Emma. Killian felt so out of place, like he was encroaching on a private moment.

"Emma, as I was trying to _tell _you when you so rudely ran off-"

"Elsa I'm sorry."

But there was humor laced in both of their tones.

Elsa continued. "I have to get home. I've got work in an hour."

Turning her head back to Killian, she took his hand. "But it looks like you have a new shopping buddy!"

Elsa took Emma's hand in her other and before he knew it, he was holding Emma's hand firmly in his grasp. He hoped his hand wasn't sweaty from nervousness. He could tell that Emma's hold wasn't very tight. This must be even more awkward for her than it was for him, but he tried to be as nonchalant as possible.

"Elsa…" Emma warned.

Before Elsa left them alone at the entrance of the store, she whispered something briefly into Emma's ear. And then she was gone.

They were still holding hands. They were staring at the front of the store even after Elsa had left. The only noise was the bustle of the music store behind them.

"What was that all about, Swan?" Killian said, attempting to break the silence between them.

"Oh that's just…Elsa being Elsa," she shrugged. He noticed that she had conspicuously slipped her hand out of his at the soonest moment. So much for her having any interest in him.

They stood for another moment, Emma swinging her arms back and forth as she glanced around the shop and Killian with his hands in his pockets, hoping not to do anything else he may regret later.

"So. Music."

"Yeah…music."

The heat that had been radiating between them before had been replaced with something colder and more unfamiliar. He didn't like it. He liked what they had before.

"Emma do you want to see the most beautiful guitar of all time?"

When he looked toward her, she lit up, her smile slowly returning to her face and her eyes regaining the glow that always festered from them.

"I would love to," she laughed, seemingly brushing off the cumbersome moment that had just taken place.

Leading her to the back of the store, back to the guitar he was so enchanted with, he explained. "This is one of the sleekest instruments I have ever laid eyes on. Bright red. Six strings. Automatic tuning."

Fuck the store manager. Killian picked up the guitar and slung the strap over him, giving the instrument several long strums. He was getting lost in the chords again. Emma was still standing in front of him and if his eyes were open, he was sure that he wouldn't have taken them off of her face as she watched him play.

With one last strum, the music died away smoothly. He removed the guitar from his body, placing it back on the stand and stepping closer to her again.

"I didn't know you played guitar," Emma stated plainly.

"Well there's a lot you don't know about me."

He was looking down at her intently again. The more movie moments like this he got with her, the more he was sure that his crush was developing into something more. Even though it was a startling thought, he wasn't going to deny it and he certainly wasn't going to ignore it. She was like a golden light that had entered his store one day and ever since then, his life had never been dark.

"I don't know about you," she began softly, "but I'm not really up for any more shopping. What about you?"

Killian chuckled. "Not in particular, no."

"Good because I am done with this place for now," Emma laughed with him.

"Alright then. How about I walk you to your car then?" he offered.

He was worried that he was overstepping his bounds. They had established that they were friends and this was a friendly thing to do. It didn't hurt. But one thing he had learned about Emma is that she was more than just a pretty golden angel. She was a confusing and complicated woman who was difficult to read. But that's what made her so irresistible.

Looking up at him again, she muttered one word that he was relieved to hear. "Sure."

/

This was nice. This was harmless.

Emma and Killian were walking together out toward the parking garage. Their strides were slow and small and they were carrying on good friendly conversation.

This was okay.

"Elsa is kinda like my sister. I mean…she is my sister," Emma stuttered. She wasn't always this open with people, but it was just a little information about someone she cared about. What harm could it possibly do?

She thought about the words that Elsa had whispered into her ear before she left the music store.

_I like him better than Neal. _

Of course she did. She liked everyone better than Neal. So did Emma. But she knew that wasn't how Elsa meant it. But Elsa didn't know that Emma was done. She didn't know that she had vowed to never fall in love again. The deal with "love" was not something she would get involved with ever again. It wasn't going to happen. No matter how much Killian flirted or how much Elsa tried to persuade her to give it a shot. It was never going to happen. She wouldn't be making the same mistake twice.

"I wish I had a sister. My mother died before I can remember so it was just my father, brother, and I. Growing up with women was not something that I got to experience," Killian responded.

Emma pulled her coat tighter around herself. Her hands were freezing as she shoved them into the pockets of it and she was brought back to the moment inside the music store, when Elsa had forced her and Killian's hands together. She had been quick to pull away after Elsa had left them alone, but she couldn't help but admit that his hand was warm and firm in hers. She missed feeling the heat of another person. That was one of the physical aspects of a relationship she always loved. Intimacy.

But intimacy was a part of love. And love was not something she dealt with. Not anymore.

"So…if you love music why don't you work here? At the music store?" she inquired.

"Well…I can get more hours by working at the video store. By getting more hours I get more money which means I can pay off my student loans quicker. It's all a science, really," he explained. His cheeks were rosy in the cold and she smiled in spite of herself, mentally noting how adorable he actually he looked in his scarf and beanie.

She felt a knot tightening in her stomach. This is the same feeling she felt after a week of being with Neal. The sex had only been a brief part of it and as she fell for him more and more, the butterflies were prominent. She couldn't get those again. But this current feeling was a mix of butterflies and something she was all too familiar with. Fear.

"This is me," she said as they approached her car. She unlocked the door of the beetle and opened it, standing next to it with her hand resting at the top. He stood in front of her and she could see his breath as he huffed out.

Neither one of them was really certain of what they should say next. Goodbye seemed too simple and a hug seemed too personal. Maybe she was just overthinking things as she always seemed to do. His eyes seemed even bluer than before in the freezing air and she could tell that he was looking directly into her green ones. What if he tried to kiss her? What if he just turned and walked away as if they didn't even know each other? Which would be worse? She knew that whatever happened she would be up all night thinking about it; analyzing every part of it, trying to decipher the meaning behind it and whether she thought that he actually had feelings for her. She would never love him, that was out of the question, obviously. But if he loved her, well, she was in a big pile of shit.

She hadn't realized how long she had been standing there until she noticed that her nose was numb from the wind.

"Well…I'm gonna go. I'll see you later, Killian."

"Do you want to get coffee or something?"

There it was. The sudden outburst. It wasn't a proclamation of love but it was suggesting a date.

He was her friend. And she wasn't going to deny that spending time with him had grown to be one of the things she looked forward to. Their movie nights were always enjoyable. So she leapt.

"Okay," she stated simply.

He told her he would text her before he went back to his car, a grin now plastered on his face.

She nudged into her bug, throwing her coat into the back seat and her purse into the passenger side. She had agreed to a sort-of date with Killian. No. Not a date. If she told herself it wasn't a date, it wouldn't be one. It wasn't a date. Not a date. _Not a date._

She started the car and pulled out of the parking space, already starting to do the overthinking that was going to keep her up all night.

/

_**This chapter was so fun to write. I'm so excited to be including Elsa! I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why the mysterious brother David isn't included per say... i promise that will be revisited. also, i'm so pumped to write the coffee date...what do you think should happen on it? i would love to hear your thoughts. reviews more than welcome.**_


End file.
